Chronicling legal humor--because let's face it--lawyers take themselves far too seriously and the law is damn funny if you look at it through the right lens.

Other

May 17, 2010

I've just released a new lawtechTalk episode that you can watch for
FREE.

Episode #9 (Part 1
& Part 2)
features, and is sponsored by Chrometa,
which offers time tracking software for attorneys.
Part 1, the introduction, is approximately 7 minutes long and Part 2,
the demo and interview portion, is approximately 10 minutes long.

In
this episodeof
lawtechTalk, you'll learn how Chrometa helps you track your time,
allowing you to keep track of and bill for time that you would have
otherwise forgotten about. Chrometa operates quietly in the background
on your PC, logging all the time that you spend on your computer, as you
view documents and emails, use applications, make phone calls,
attend meetings,
and everything else that you do on a day-to-day basis.

During
this episode I interview Brett Owens, the CEO and one of the
co-founders of Chrometa.

There are 2 parts to this episode, which can be viewed here: Part 1 & Part 2.

March 19, 2010

My new book, Social
Media for Lawyers: The Next Frontier, will be published in
just a few weeks. My co-author, Carolyn Elefant and I
are extremely excited about it and will be launching a preview of the
book at the upcoming ABA
TechShow in Chicago.

Hopefully, we'll have the chance to see
many of you at TechShow and discuss our book and social media issues in
general!

March 12, 2010

In the latest episodeof
lawtechTalk, you'll learn all about metadata--what it is, the risks it
presents, your ethical obligations and how to remove it
from your legal
documents, even when sending documents via email using a smart
phone.
During the episode I interview Cathy Brode, one of the co-founders of
3BView.

Episode #8 (Part
1 & Part 2)
features, and
is sponsored by 3BView, which
offers metadata removal products, including a server-based option and 3BCleanDocs,
which is their SaaS-based metadata removal system. 3BCleanDocs
automatically removes metadata from documents sent via email, even those
sent via your smart phone.

There are 2 parts to this episode, which can be viewed here for FREE: Part 1 & Part 2.

October 26, 2009

Some of you may wonder just that--who is Nicole Black? However, more
likely than not, most of you probably don't care. I realize that--and
answering that question really isn't my goal here, so please excuse
what appears to be a rather extreme case navel gazing.

The primary purpose of this post is to clarify, for search engine purposes, who I am, what I do and why.

This is my strongest domain name in terms of SEO which is why I'm posting this here. I'll be linking to it on my other blogs and if you have a blog, I would be ever so grateful if you would link to it as well
(even if it consists of just a single word in an unrelated post that
links back to this post-I'm just hoping for inbound links).

That
will help push this post up in search engine rankings so that when
people search for my name or my Twitter ID this is where they'll end up
and they'll be sure receive accurate, truthful information about me.

I am 39 years old, have been married for 11 years and have 2 children. I have lived in Rochester, NY for most of my adult life.

I graduated from Albany Law School in 1995 and was admitted to the New York State Bar in 1996.

I interned in the Monroe County Public Defender's Office appeals
bureau from 1995-1996. During that time, I accomplished one of the most
significant wins of my legal career: I was successful in overturning a
murder conviction in the matter of People v. Sierra, 231 A.D.2d 907, 647 N.Y.S.2d 891 (4th Dep't 1996).

Shortly after I argued that appeal, I was hired as an Assistant
Public Defender and worked there for nearly 4 years, handling over 3000
criminal cases during that time frame. I conducted countless hearings
and trials, including a number of jury trials.

In 1999 I left the Public Defender's Office and was hired as an associate at Trevett, Cristo, Salzer & Andolina.
I continued to handle criminal defense matters. I handled assigned
counsel matters, my own retained criminal defense matters and
worked with some of the partners at the firm--widely held to be some of
the best criminal defense attorneys in town--on their cases. I also
handled all types of civil litigation matters, ranging from personal
injury litigation (plaintiff and defense), commercial litigation and
built up my own employment discrimination book of practice.

In 2002 my first child was born. Later that year, I was told that I
was on partnership track and would likely make partner the following
year. My internal reaction to the knowledge--dread--caused me to take a
deep look inward. I realized that I wasn't happy. I knew that I wasn't
where I wanted to be in life and if I stayed on that track, I'd most
likely be stuck for good.

I loved the firm and the people in it. That's not what was making me
unhappy. I wasn't sure what was, but I knew that I felt like a part of
me was dying--and I needed a change.

So, I took a self imposed hiatus from the law in 2003 and had my
second child. I returned to the law in 2005, opening up shop as a
contract attorney and started my first blog--this blog.

From there, things fell into place for me. As I blogged, business
found me. Lawyers hired me to do work for them, and at the same time,
writing and speaking opportunities were offered to me.

And, in early 2007, Ed Fiandach
approached me to do work for his office, a well-recognized DWI defense
firm. After I'd handled a few projects for him, he asked if I would
consider becoming of counsel with the firm and handle appeals
(including appellate arguments) and memos to the court for their
office.

I happily agreed, with the understanding that I could
continue my writing and blogging. I wanted to be able to continue to
express myself without reservation.

Ed agreed and also advised me that if I ever wanted to make court
appearances, including hearings and trials, that option was available
to me as well. I declined, since I knew that if I did so, I would lose
the flexibility for which I had worked so hard.

I continue to handle projects for the firm. The demand for my
assistance with projects varies to this day, depending on any number of
factors: the economy, demand within the office, the number of appeals
filed by the DA's office, and my own schedule. Just last month I
declined a few projects due to a number of writing deadlines that I was
facing.

While criminal defense has always been one of my primary passions,
I've found another since re-entering the legal field in 2005: a
fascination with the intersection of law and technology.

I
continue to speak regularly about the intersection of law and
technology and am in the process of writing a book about social media
for lawyers, which I am so fortunate to be co-authoring with Carolyn Elefant.

I
find the balance between my various endeavors to be perfect. I no
longer experience a sense of dread when I think about where my
professional career is leading me. I feel passion every day for the
issues that occupy my thoughts as a result of my chosen career path.

As
I re-read the previous paragraph, I realize just how lucky I am. Each
day is an adventure--and one that I welcome. You can't get much better
than that now, can you?

September 28, 2009

On Thursday, October 8th, 2009 I'm going to be speaking at the "Social
Media for Lawyers I" conference which is being held at New York Law
School from 8-11 a.m.I'm also organizing a meetup that evening at 7--see below for details.

This conference offers a unique and highly targeted look at social media. A panel of legal
experts who have become leaders in the social media arena will offer
hands on sessions as well as leading sessions on the inherent risks,
limitations and potential vulnerabilities and liabilities of these
social media tools.

I'll be speaking on this panel with Lisa Solomon: "6 Things Lawyers Need to Know About Social Media.

As a speaker, I've been authorized to offer my readers a 25% discount using this code: 20OAGEIA .

You can register for the conference here. Remember to use the discount code!

I'm
also organizing a NYC legal professionals meetup on Oct 8, 2009,
location to be determined by a native New Yorker, but it will be
somewhere near the law school.

If you're on Twitter, you can RSVP for the meetup here or simply leave me a note in the comments and I'll be sure to keep you in the loop.

September 11, 2009

This presentationwill
focus
on three different types of online legal technologies. In it I'll discuss the
concept of "cloud computing" and explore the main features of each to
help you figure out which will
best meet your law firm's needs.

This
episode is a little over one hour long and is sponsored by the three
companies featured in the screencast: VLOTech (a virtual law office platform), NKrypt (offers a secure, encrypted email network), and NetDocuments (online document management) and for a limited time, is available at no cost.

As a reader of my blog, you can simply click here to access this episode, instead of contacting me for information regarding how to access it.

August 22, 2009

This comprehensive, dynamic event will
explore the inherent challenges of social media and will arm you with
the specific tools necessary to protect your company, your intellectual
property and your reputation in today’s virtual world. Find out how to
safeguard yourself and your business through insightful sessions
focused on:

The Social Media Sensation: Pressure to Keep up in the Digital Age

Exposure, Liability and Consequences of Your Business and Social Media

Develop your Company’s Corporate Policy for Social Media

Protecting your Company’s Identity in a Virtual World

Risks from Employees Past, Present and Future

Safeguarding your Company’s Intellectual Property

Best Practices for Social Media.

Challenges from Social Media are only
one inappropriate “tweet” away. Register for this timely program today
and ensure you understand the inherent perils of the market and
construct the proper policies to protect your company and ensure future
growth.

I will be on this panel: Your Business and the Social Media Sensation.

There is a discount for friends and family (and blog readers). If you want to attend, just visit the conference website at www.corpcounsel.com/socialmedia and use the code SPK for $100.00 off.

August 03, 2009

This screencast(a recording of computer screen output along with video of me discussing what is seen)will
focus
on
using online tools to assist you with brain storming and organizing
your thoughts for all aspects of a case, from drafting a complaint to
preparing for trial. We'll discuss web applications for brain storming,
mind mapping, creating flow charts, and time lines, among other things.

This episode is a little under one half hour long and is available for viewing for a limited time at no cost.Simply contact lawtechTalk for information regarding how to access this screencast.

Disclaimer and all that jazz

This site is intended purely as a resource guide for educational and informational purposes and is not intended to provide specific legal advice. This site should not be used as a substitute for competent legal advice from a professional attorney in your state. The use and receipt of the information offered on this site is not intended to create, nor does it create, an attorney-client relationship.

Please feel free to contact me via e-mail or otherwise. However, please be advised that an attorney-client relationship is not created through the act of sending electronic mail to me.

The comments on this blog are solely the opinions of the individuals leaving them. In no way does Legal Antics or Nicole L. Black endorse, condone, agree with, sponsor, etc. these comments.

Further, any information provided on this blog or in the comments should be taken at your own risk.